Aphaniosoma daedalum, Ebejer, 2023

Ebejer, Martin J., 2023, The genus Aphaniosoma Becker, 1903 (Diptera: Chyromyidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 872, pp. 1-161 : 49-54

Aphaniosoma daedalum sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5B7ABB09-34CA-4B74-AC56-86DB62F5493F

Figs 22–24

Diagnosis

A species strongly marked with black and pale yellow, giving it a variegated appearance, and with unusually long, strong setae ( Fig. 22A ). Frons with a pair of long setae in front of anterior ocellus. Frons, scutellum and large parts of pleura always yellow. Male with large shiny black hypopygium and long pale yellow bifid surstylus, both easily viewed externally in most specimens; tergite 6 with a long, black, narrow extension of its ventral margin directed postero-medially. The new species differs from A. cypriense by not being unusually elongate and by having a dark subshining abdomen. In A. cypriense , tergite 6 has a short and broad anterior lobe at the ventro-lateral margin and no extension postero-medially. The hypopygium is also markedly different with A. cypriense having a proportionately much larger phallapodeme, a dark blade-like postgonite (a structure possibly absent in A. daedalum ), and a simple tubular aedeagus. With A. palestinense sp. nov., it shares an almost identical habitus except for longer scutal setae and shinier tergites. Males are also easily separated on the appearance of the hypopygium, even in situ. Females of A. palestinense have a dark band across the frons, whereas in females of A. daedalum and A. cypriense , the frons is always clear yellow. A. palestinense does not have the prescutellar acrostichals.

Etymology

The species epithet is derived from the Latin ‘ daedalus ’ meaning ‘variegated’.

Material examined

Holotype

ISRAEL • ♂; Ne’ot haKikkar ; 29 Mar. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU 405822 .

Paratypes

ISRAEL • 4 ♂♂; Ne’ot haKikkar ; 29 Mar. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 26 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ (one ♀ with Stigmatomyces ); Zomet Zohar; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Qalya; 2 Jan. 1997; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; S. Paz leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ En Gedi; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 30 Mar. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 3 Mar. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 8 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 12 Apr. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ En Zin; 9 Feb. 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix parviflora ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; on T. negevensis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀; Newe Zohar; 19 Mar. 1995; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 18 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Dead Sea , Zomet Zohar; 31°08ʹ N, 35°21ʹ E; alt. - 338 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; MJE • 7 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Dead Sea , ‘ Enot Zuqim; 31°43ʹ N, 35°27ʹ E; alt. - 400 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; MJE .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 1.4 mm, female 1.4 mm. Wing length: male 1.5 mm, female 1.5 mm.

Male (holotype)

HEAD ( Fig. 22B ). Yellow, ocellar triangle and occiput black, latter with narrow yellow postocular margin; gena about 2 / 5 × as high as eye at middle and with scattered yellowish white setulae; a pair of vibrissal setae on each side; frons narrow at anterior margin about 0.6 × as wide as at level of anterior ocellus; ocellar setae as strong as anterior fronto-orbital, 2 well-developed fronto-orbital setae and 2 short setulae anterior to these; about 12 very pale short setae on frons and a distinctly longer pair in front of the anterior ocellus; 1 inner and 1 outer vertical well-developed; paravertical setae short and convergent, postocular setae strong and in one row, face short, poorly sclerotized and depressed; median carina sharp and low, but reaching clypeus; antenna yellow, pedicel a little paler than basal flagellomere and with distinct short seta dorsally; basal flagellomere with fine pubescence along anterior margin; basal ⅓ of arista yellow contrasting the black distal ⅔.

THORAX ( Fig. 22 ). Variegated with black and yellow; scutum black anteriorly with vittae appearing for a short distance at level of wing base and leaving an area anterior to scutellum completely yellow; postpronotal lobe and notopleuron all yellow; scutellum yellow but at base of lateral margin with black spot; scutum covered with yellow microtomentum; pleura with black sclerites broadly outlined in yellow; mediotergite black; chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 1 presutural, 1 strong incurved intra-postpronotal, 2 presuturals anterior with seta shorter than very strong posterior seta, 2 notopleurals, 0+3 intra-alars, 1 postalar, 3+4 dorsocentrals, 1+4 acrostichals including a prescutellar pair, 4 scutellars, anepisternal not visible in holotype (damaged by pin, but present in paratypes), 1 katepisternal at upper posterior corner and with two fine setae at middle of sclerite.

WING. Veins all pale yellow; distance on costa between R 2+3 and R about 0.4 × that between R 4+5 and M 1; distance between crossveins about 1.6 × as long as posterior crossvein, which is about 0.4 × as long as apical section of M 4. Haltere pale yellow.

4+5

LEGS. Fore femur with long setulae on posterior aspect; numerous pale yellow setulae scattered on all legs; apico-ventral seta on mid tibia present; claws black on apical half, pulvilli normal; tarsomeres 4 and 5 brown; hind trochanter not modified.

ABDOMEN ( Figs 22A , 23A ). Tergites black with rather sparse microtomentum, thus leaving them subshining; posterior margins pale yellow and all tergites with scattered numerous setulae, becoming paler laterally; tergite 6 at ventral margin with long narrow black extension directed postero-medially ( Fig. 24B ); sternite 6 modified into an X-shaped sclerite with apparently sternite 5 represented by a small setulose sclerite laterally between the anterior and posterior arms of sternite 6 on each side ( Fig. 24C ).

HYPOPYGIUM ( Figs 23 , 24A ). Epandrium shining black, bearing a pale, narrow, slightly curved surstylus that is bifid apically with one apical setula on each branch; pregonite curved, narrow and with several minute setulae; epiphallus large, completely shining black and apically pointed; distiphallus mostly black and short bilobed apically; postgonite not identified and may be absent; cercus pale yellow, fused with the opposite side and without exceptionally long setae at apex.

Female

As in male, but without secondary sexual characters.

Variation

None observed.

Distribution

Israel.

Figures

Fig. 22. Aphaniosoma daedalum sp. nov., ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405822). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head and thorax, dorsal view.

Fig. 23. Aphaniosoma daedalum sp. nov. A. ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405822), hypopygium in situ, lateral view. B. ♂, paratype (MJE), hypopygium in situ, extended in alcohol, ventro-lateral view.

Fig. 24. Aphaniosoma daedalum sp. nov., ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU). A. Hypopygium, lateral view. B. Tergite 6, lateral view. C. Pregenital sternites, ventral view. Abbreviations: See Material and methods.